The tripod is not new in the art, and the basic principle involved with its use is fairly simple-three legs used to provide a stable platform. The potential applications for tripods are numerous, although one common use is as a portable stand for a device or tool. For example, tripods are used in applications ranging from supporting a laser sight for surveying, a camera for photography, a telescope for sky viewing, and an antenna in communication systems.
In this regard, these common uses often involve transportation of the tripod and associated device. Whether to a photo shoot or to a construction sight, transportation of the tripod and associated device raises two important issues-one of size and one of protection.
As to size, it can be inconvenient to transport a large tripod assembly due to the inherent spread of the tripod legs. A past solution is to allow the legs to fold into a linear assembly. However, issues of length of the assembly may still persist. As to protection of the associated device, which is often expensive and fragile, the typical solution in the past is to remove the device and store it separately from the tripod assembly. However, separate storage can be inconvenient and time consuming. Accordingly, there remains in the art room for improvement in transporting a tripod assembly.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tripod assembly that folds into a compact size and also protects any device mounted thereon.